Shannon Dueck

If the conditions are right, a lot of shooting stars will be visible tonight, and one good local viewing spot is Delta Beach, where the dark skies make for ideal stargazing.

Scott Young, a Planetarium Astronomer at the Manitoba Museum, says this will be the peak night for the Perseids meteor shower. 

Young explains that meteors are commonly referred to as shooting stars or falling stars. These streaks of light in the sky are caused by little pieces of dust, sand, or rock in outer space, which burn up in our atmosphere. 

Some residents of Southern Manitoba have been noticing different trends this summer when it comes to insects. And the question has been asked whether our smoky conditions have played a role.

John Gavloski is an Entomologist with Manitoba Agriculture. He says studies have been done with biting flies and smoke. However, he cautions that the tricky part is that the impact of the smoke is very dependent on the intensity and the duration. 

"So, trying to make implications to what is happening in Southern Manitoba with the Northern Manitoba wildfires is very tricky," he says. 

The likelihood of being hospitalized from slipping on ice is far greater in Manitoba than being hospitalized from a sports-related injury. A spokesperson for Canadian Institute for Health Information says that is one of their findings from a report released Thursday.

Some residents of Southern Manitoba have been noticing different trends this summer when it comes to insects. And the question has been asked whether our smoky conditions have played a role.

John Gavloski is an Entomologist with Manitoba Agriculture. He says studies have been done with biting flies and smoke. However, he cautions that the tricky part is the impact of the smoke is very dependent on the intensity and the duration. 

"So, trying to make implications to what is happening in Southern Manitoba with the Northern Manitoba wildfires is very tricky," he says. 

A local gardening expert says the smoky conditions over the last couple of months are having an impact on vegetation in Southern Manitoba.

Even though the wildfires might be hundreds of kilometres away, Carla Hrycyna of the Lawn & Garden Journal says the smoke that is wafting into our region is being felt by our plants, both positively and negatively. 

Hrycyna explains that the wildfires are releasing carbon dioxide into the air, which is a positive thing for our plants. 

Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) is reminding motorists to replace their license plates if the letters or numbers are peeling.

Tara Seel is Media and Public Relations Lead. She says once the numbers or the reflective coating begins to peel off plates, they create safety concerns for all road users, including law enforcement. 

"Traffic stops are dangerous in and of themselves," notes Seel. "They now have to approach a vehicle when they are not able to read that license plate and have a little bit of information to go in with."

Lac du Bonnet RCMP say a pilot was not hurt after his float plane flipped over in the Winnipeg River.

On Monday at 2:31 pm, Lac du Bonnet RCMP received a report that a float plane was discovered upside down in the water after landing on the Winnipeg River.

Once on scene, officers were told that the pilot had safely landed the plane, but the right float went under water while taxiing to shore.

The pilot and sole occupant, a 27-year-old male from Snow Lake, was able to escape the plane just before it tipped upside down in the water. Police say he was not injured.

A spokesperson for the Manitoba Wildfire Service (MWS) says fire activity is picking up again in our province, as a result of dry weather over the last couple of days.

Kristin Hayward is the Assistant Deputy Minister responsible for MWS. She says 118 active fires are burning in Manitoba. So far this year, there have been 313 fires, well ahead of the 20-year average of 229 by July 17th.

Wildfire smoke has posed a very high health risk to Southern Manitoba residents at various points this month.

That is according to the Air Quality Health Index or AQHI. According to the Manitoba Lung Association, the AQHI is based on the combined levels of three different air pollutants. Those three are ground-level ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and fine particulate matter. 

The Manitoba Wildfire Service (MWS) says our province remains at a moderate to high fire danger level. Human activity, including arson, is contributing significantly to current wildfire conditions. As a result, critical firefighting resources are being diverted to respond to deliberately set fires, often in or near communities.